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Imbalanced Reporting on the D.C. Plane Crash and Lawrence O'Donnell Finds WH Press Politeness Intolerable

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Jan 30, 2025
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Anti-Social Media – VARIOUS OUTLETS

  • The need to politicize trumps common decency.

As Matt Vespa cataloged nicely today, following the aviation disaster over Washington, D.C., late Wednesday taking 67 souls, there has been a disturbing number of members of the alleged journalism community who felt the need to come forward with accusations of culpability. The charges of policy decisions, hiring standards, as well as Pete Hegseth’s alleged unsuitable stature, were trotted out while bodies were still being located in the Potomac.

What is telling is how we never saw such from this industry during four years of Joe Biden's term. While he did not see an airline disaster on his watch, there was a comparable incident where a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, took place.

You did not see people blaming the accident on any policy or decision. There was a significant amount of criticism surrounding the reactions of Biden and Pete Buttigieg – or the lack thereof – but leveling accusations that they caused the disaster was not seen. Anyone suggesting some policy led to a mid-air collision needs to be discounted going forward. And yet, as Matt showed this morning, there was no shortage of media figures pointing fingers at Trump and others.

Recommended

We Know the How Things Were at the Reagan Control Tower Before the Crash. It's Not Good. Matt Vespa
Adam Schiff Tried to Take Down Kash Patel. It Went How You'd Expect. Katie Pavlich

News Avoidance Syndrome – WASHINGTON POST

  • Gang, the crash took place IN YOUR CITY…

The Washington Post front print edition raised quite a few eyebrows. Granted, the air disaster took place late in the night and the morning edition may have been put together, but considering the editors did find a way to get the crash into print at all means they could have shuffled the clutch of articles to get the crash mentioned above the fold. Maybe dropping just one of the anti-Trump pieces already slated could have been arranged?

Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – MSNBC

  • Calling out the White House Press corps for disgracefully being…um…polite?

Lawrence O’Donnell watched Karoline Leavitt’s first White House press briefing and came away really bothered by what he saw on display.

Cordial decency…?

Apparently, he thinks that the press swooning over Karine Jean-Pierre for her tenure was actually a mob of hog-callers behaving like they were in a mosh pit. But Larry is clearly bothered that the press were not in shrieking attack mode, as he castigates the journalists in the room for acting professional:

Here's a sample  of some of the things that the White House Press Corps said to the White House Press Secretary, who was more than a week late in delivering her first so-called press briefing: ‘Welcome.’ ‘You look great.’ ‘Isn’t this true?’ ‘You're doing a great job.’ ‘I apologize for interrupting.’ ‘If I may.’ ‘Secondly, if you're willing-’ Because it is the Trump White House press briefing room, there will be no screaming. The White House Press Corps will all sound like reasonable adults, and some of them will sound like fawning fans of the Press Secretary and the President, because the White House Press Corps has a special standard of behavior that they reserve uniquely for the Trump White House.

Legalized Press-tiution – NBC / ‘THE LATE-SHOW’

  • Seriously, Seth, you are going to make AOC jealous.

Gretchen Whitmer made an appearance with Seth Meyers on his late night talker (we are not sure why, either), and it was an unsettling stroke-fest. Meyers addressed the Michigan governor and after she made the magnanimous announcement that she would not reflexively block everything Trump tries to enact – you know, acting rather normal – Meyers poured on the praise as if he were ghostwriting her memoirs:

I do feel like as a Democratic governor — you have even said you're not looking to pick fights with him. You do want to work together with this administration, and I feel like that speaks to how much you care about the people in your state.

Pulitzer Prize Nomination – WASHINGTON POST

  • This changes…well, absolutely nothing.

We don’t want to imply that the Washington Post is uniquely obsessed with Elon Musk and is intent on bringing the man down – so we’ll show you instead.

The site delivered an extensive 1,700-word investigation on Musk to expose a devious and unacceptable level of graft he has been suspected of orchestrating.

According to WaPo investigative journalism, Musk cheats at video games.